1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fly-fishing and, more particularly to a structure for storing artificial flies and monofilament fishing leaders.
2. Background Art
Fly-fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of species including pike, bass, pan-fish, grayling and carp, as well as redfish, snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass.
In fly-fishing, fish are caught by using artificial flies. Artificial flies are created by tying hair, fur, feathers and other materials, both natural and synthetic, onto a hook with thread. The flies are made to have the sizes, colors and patterns to match local terrestrial and aquatic insects, baitfish, or other prey attractive to the target fish species.
Most, if not all fly-fishermen store artificial flies, often numbering in the hundreds, in what are commonly known as “fly boxes.” A fly box is typically made from wood, plastic, foam or metal with a hinge and a locking mechanism that allows the box to be opened and closed repeatedly. Some fly boxes are also waterproof and some have rather intricate and varying methods for holding individual flies in place. There are even fly boxes that have the capacity to hold both a fly and an attached line in place. Typical examples of these fly boxes are shown in the following United States patents.                U.S. Pat. No. 2,065,234 to Martinez        U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,640 to De Witt        U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,214 to Corkran        U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,258 to Allard        U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,671 to Voight et al        
Although such fly boxes have achieved considerable popularity and commercial success, there has been a continuing need for improvement especially in the area of line and fly storage and the time management issues demanded by them.
Those who fly-fish regularly are inevitably exposed to what, in the fly-fishing vernacular is commonly referred to as a “dropper-rig.” A “dropper-rig” is comprised of two flies tied together on a single piece of monofilament fishing line, with one fly at each end of the line. This combination of flies is then tied to the main line that comes from the rod and reel. The distance between the two flies may be anywhere from 3 inches to 10 feet.
Using dropper-rig flies is nothing new in the world of fly-fishing, dating back to the 1930's. Most experts agree that fly-fishing with a dropper-rig is one of the most effective methods for catching fish, but even with this increase in effectiveness, there remain inherent problems associated with using dropper-rigs. These are problems the currently available fly boxes on the market do not adequately address.
One of the most frustrating and time consuming issues associated with fishing dropper-rigs is the time and effort spent creating new dropper-rigs. Fisherman often experience what is known as a “snag.” A snag results when one hooks the bottom and cannot free the line without breaking it, which is often. After the line breaks, one often has to create a new dropper-rig assembly. The process for creating a dropper-rig demands that a fisherman stop fishing and perform a number of technically demanding actions including, choosing flies, striping and cutting line, feeding very thin line through the small eye of a hook, tying three knots and so on. This process, depending on the weather, the lighting and what type of flies are working, can take up to 15 minutes to complete. If there's a snag in the line twice in one hour, one can spend half the time creating dropper-rigs as opposed to fishing them.
The present invention is a time saving device that allows a fisherman to store and easily access, pre-tied dropper-rigs. It keeps the dropper-rig assemblies well organized and ready for use thus reducing the amount of time required by a fisherman to manage the technical difficulties associated with creating new dropper-rigs while fishing. Furthermore, the present invention can be managed with one hand and has no loose parts or pieces, requires no lubrication and can be any size.